The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Scaled-down census called vital for community

Instead of the 60 questions the Census Bureau asked households to answer in 2000, there are only 10 this year. This is what you’ll see:

U.S. Census Bureau Instead of the 60 questions the Census Bureau asked households to answer in 2000, there are only 10 this year. This is what you’ll see:

ENLARGE PHOTO

Suspects arrested after burglary in Lindenwald
2:19 p.m.
Hamilton announces names of new chiefs
11:22 a.m.
Ohio leaders preparing defense of bases amidst closures
10:59 a.m.
Pentagon to allow women to serve near front lines
9:17 a.m.
County candidates seek to sway voters at forum
8:19 a.m.
> More headlines

By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer Updated 7:51 AM Monday, January 4, 2010

HAMILTON — The raw data produced by the U.S. Census Bureau this year will paint a picture of Butler County that steers business, government and social services for years to come.

At stake is representation in federal government, and local communities’ share of $400 billion awarded annually based on census data.

And census officials say you can do your part for your community in only 10 minutes.

The questionnaires that will start hitting mailboxes across the county in mid-March will consist of only 10 questions, pared down considerably from earlier forms six times that size.

The reason: People weren’t answering the 60-question census form used in 2000. “They felt that it was too long. They felt that it was too intrusive,” said Donna Marsh, regional spokeswoman for the census.

So this year’s census will only ask how many people live in each home, whether the home is rented or bought, and each person’s age, race and name. The other info is collected in the American Community Survey, released every three years.

But the 2010 census’ scaled-down size doesn’t diminish its importance. It decides how many representatives each state gets in the U.S. Congress. Early estimates suggest Ohio may lose two seats to faster-growing states.

Numerous programs will rely on the 2010 census when awarding federal funds, which is why local governments and non-profits are urging people to cooperate.

“We all benefit from having good, complete, reliable data,” said Bruce Jewett, currently both interim Butler County administrator and president of the Butler County United Way board. “Nobody has an interest in having people under-counted or specific populations under-counted.”

Marsh urges people to fill out the mailed forms and send them back by April 1. In addition to saving taxpayer dollars — $80 million for every 1 percent of the population that mails the form back — it saves residents a hassle. Workers called “enumerators” will start going door-to-door in late April visiting homes that didn’t return the form.

Collected data plays important role

It’s just 10 questions, such as: Who are you? Who else lives here? Do you rent or buy? What is your race?

But the 2010 census is still a monumental effort, employing up to 800 people in the West Chester Twp. office alone and aiming to count every man, woman and child in the nation.

Butler County’s starting point: 332,807. That was the population after the 2000 census. Estimates are that it increased by nearly 25,000 people since then.

The official outcome could, in turn, shape the community it records.

For example, many companies rely on census data to decide where to locate new stores, or what products to offer in which areas.

“The census is used quite a bit by marketers,” said Maria Cronley, associate professor of marketing at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business.

“(It’s used) to help them develop new products, to help them understand how their market is changing in terms of, let’s say, aging, or changes in ethnicity,” she said. “It helps them segment markets, which is divide up the market into targets.”

“It’s used really for a wide variety of things.”

A ‘direct bearing’ on local programs

The federal government also uses the census in allotting $400 billion in annual funding for programs.

“It’s very crucial that everybody is counted,” said Donna Everson, Butler County’s community development director, who works with federal funding that is sent here. “(It) has a direct bearing on the amount of allocation the local jurisdictions receive.”

For example, the federal community development block grant program steered more than $3.2 million this year to local projects — such as community parks, museums and rehab efforts — to the county, Hamilton and Middletown.

Another program that helps low-income residents fix up dilapidated homes saw more than $1.3 million locally, because of census data.

Each person not counted costs the local community $2,000 in federal funding, according to Donna Marsh, spokeswoman for the census’ regional office.

“That difference can be huge in terms of social services, how roads get fixed, how much money goes into schools and any other group … that is helped by federal funds,” Marsh said.

“Whether you fill it out or not, the needs (of the community) are not going to change,” she said. “There’s just going to be less money going around to take care of those needs.”

Only 10 questions

But this year’s census is a pared-down version of censuses past. Instead of the 60 questions on the 2000 census, there are only 10 this year. The questions fit on one page, with extra pages given just for other people in the household.

“The census is just a count of everyone living in the U.S., no matter what their status is, their orientation ... whatever,” Marsh said.

The other, more detailed information previously collected by the census is now collected through surveys conducted every year and released every three years. The 2006-08 American Community Survey was released in December, with detailed information about Hamilton, Middletown and Butler County.

1 | 2 next page »

Timeline for the 2010 U.S. Census

Jan. 18: National ad campaign starts.

March 8-10: Letters mailed to households alerting them of the census.

March 15: Questionnaires mailed.

April 1: Census begins.

Late April through July: Census workers go door-to-door to homes that didn’t return form.

Dec. 31: Deadline for census data to be presented to the president of the United States.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Share this article